PURPLE GEMS

"The new series will send Stephen Strange into deep space, with some assistance from Tony Stark,
after the Master of the Mystic Arts loses his connection to the Earth's arcane power."
Another depowering- and then sending him into outer space. Marvel has no fucking idea what to do with Doctor Strange.

DOCTOR STRANGE: DAMNATION #4 (OF 4)
DONNY CATES & NICK SPENCER (W) ROD REIS (A/C)
VARIANT COVER BY RON LIM
CONNECTING VARIANT COVER BY GREG SMALLWOOD (4 OF 4)
It's DAMNATION NATION! Mephisto's on a hot streak that won't stop! Every team that's faced him has fallen, while more of the country falls under his influence. There's just one card left to play: Wong versus MephistoALONE! Who escapes alive, who escapes undead and who doesn't escape at all? DAMNATION is going out in a blaze of glory, and you GOTTA see who gets burned!
40 PGS./Rated T+ $4.99

DOCTOR STRANGE #388
DONNY CATES (W)
NIKO HENRICHON (A)
Cover by MIKE DEL MUNDO
VENOM 30TH VARIANT COVER BY TBA
DAMNATION TIE-IN!
Doctor Strange has tried playing it straight and he's tried cheating- is the only way to win Mephisto's game not to play? While he tries to check out of the Hotel Inferno, Wong and the Midnight Sons try to break in! With the souls of the living and the dead on the line, is the Sorcerer Supreme willing to follow his former assistant's lead?
32 PGS./Rated T+ $3.99

DOCTOR STRANGE #389
DONNY CATES (W)
NIKO HENRICHON (A)
Cover by MIKE DEL MUNDO
DAMNATION TIE-IN!
Stephen Strange's first act back as Sorcerer Supreme backfired catastrophically! Maybe the Vishanti were right about him... Will the world trust him to clean up his mess?
There's a new magical landscape after DAMNATION, and a long journey back to the Sanctum Sanctorum!
32 PGS./Rated T+ $3.99

WEAPON H #2
GREG PAK (W) CORY SMITH (A)
Cover by LEINIL FRANCIS YU
Variant Cover by SKAN
VENOM 30TH VARIANT COVER BY TBA
BEAST MODE!
AWOL Part 2
Hiding out in the Canadian wilderness from greedy corporate warmongers, Clay (A.K.A. WEAPON H) searches for peace and solitude... But a series of grisly murders in a local mining town stand in his way! GUEST-STARRING THE MASTER OF MYSTIC ARTS, DOCTOR STRANGE!
32 PGS./Rated T+ $3.99

Marvel closes out a tough 02017 comics-wise of public-relations stumbles, Secret Empire, and sales slump;
cancels over 10 titles selling in the 10-15K/month range as no mercy shown to Legacy relaunch's long tail of diversity gimmicks

DOCTOR STRANGE: DAMNATION #2 (OF 4)
NICK SPENCER & DONNY CATES (W) SZYMON KUDRANSKI (A)
Cover by ROD REIS
VARIANT COVER BY RON LIM
MIGHTY THOR VARIANT COVER BY EMA LUPACCHINO
MARVEL'S AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D. ROAD TO 100 VARIANT COVER BY TBA
Connecting Variant Cover by Greg Smallwood (2 OF 4)
Mephisto has taken up some major real estate in Las Vegas, but he's not going to stop there. He's got the rest of Earth on his "TO GET"
list and only Doctor Strange can stop him. The only downside? Strange went into Mephisto's Hotel Inferno to confront him and has not been seen since.
Add the fact that the devilish villain has already corrupted several Avengers, and Wong and his rag-tag group of mystical heroes look like they're
in serious trouble.
32 PGS./Rated T+ $3.99

While Neilalien is of course excited about a new Dr. Strange event, this announcement already sets him off.
The entire premise of the story is Doc's poor judgment and incompetence!
First, why is Doc trying to resurrect Las Vegas,
destroyed by Captain America and Hydra helicarriers
in Secret Empire #1 [links updated]?
That kind of reality alteration is never something a wise Doc could, would, or should do.
Second, Doc fucks up the magic and brings Mephisto to Earth.
And assuming a Third, the usual Marvel event cash-in, many underwhelming comics and tie-ins to buy to get the entire story.
But we shall see.

DOCTOR STRANGE #385
DONNY CATES (W) GABRIEL HERNANDEZ WALTA (A)
Cover by MIKE DEL MUNDO
HULK VARIANT COVER BY MIKE DEODATO JR.
LOKI: SORCERER SUPREME PART 5
Get ready for a super-powered wizard's duel in the Mighty Marvel Manner!
Loki, Lord of Liars, versus Stephen Strange, the former Sorcerer Supreme!
And this time, way more is on the line than the title. Will Loki gain the spell so dangerous,
Stephen even hid it from himself? And how will Strange pay for the magic he'll need to defeat a god?
32 PGS./Rated T+ $3.99

DOCTOR STRANGE: DAMNATION #1 (OF 5)
DONNY CATES & Nick Spencer (W) ROD REIS (A/C)
Variant Cover by RON LIM
Variant Cover by TBA
CONNECTING VARIANT COVER by GREG SMALLWOOD
Trading Card Variant Cover by JOHN TYLER CHRISTOPHER
The city of sin gets its biggest sinner yet. When Doctor Strange raises Las Vegas up from its destruction
during SECRET EMPIRE, he inadvertently opens a big door for the embodiment of evil, MEPHISTO! The devilish villain
takes the city for himself and sets his sights on the rest of the world. It's going to take heroes from
all over the Marvel Universe to defeat him, but there's nothing simple about fighting the lord of Hell.
40 PGS./Rated T+ $4.99

DOCTOR STRANGE #386
DONNY CATES (W) NIKO HENRICHON (A/C)
A DAMNATION TIE-IN!
Doctor Strange bet on his ability to restore Las Vegas and got his prize- with some satanic strings attached!
Now he's going double or nothing to set things right. How did he get back to full power?
And will it be enough when hes gambling for his life?
32 PGS./Rated T+ $3.99

AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #795
DAN SLOTT (W) MIKE HAWTHORNE (A)
Cover by ALEX ROSS
Hulk Variant Cover by Dale Keown
THREAT LEVEL RED Part 2
IS THERE A DOCTOR IN THE HOUSE?!
Spidey pays the Sanctum Sanctorum a visit looking for a consult from the Master of the Mystic arts,
Doctor Stephen Strange... but finds himself face-to-face with the Master of Mischief and new Sorcerer
Supreme- LOKI LAUFEYSON! And he's even MORE charming than in the movies! Don't believe us?
Read this one and find out for yourself!
32 PGS./Rated T $3.99

DOCTOR STRANGE #384
DONNY CATES (W) GABRIEL HERNANDEZ WALTA (A)
Cover by MIKE DEL MUNDO
Avengers Variant Cover by Kamome Shirahama
LOKI: SORCERER SUPREME Part 4
Doctor Strange has acquired the biggest weapon he could imagine to finally take back his Sorcerer Supreme title from Loki.
But will it be enough? The life of someone Stephen cares about lies in the balance, and where Loki goes, innocent life doesn't
always stay safe...
32 PGS./Rated T+ $3.99

"This is a story about Stephen laid low and having everything taken away from him,
and the spiritual and physical journey he has to go on to reclaim those things. It's also
about getting him to a place psychologically where he can wrap his head around what's happened
to him and start to chart a new path to get back what he's lost."

It feels like every Dr. Strange story arc of the past 10-20 years has been "Stephen laid low".
Will we ever actually see him getting it back and coming out better on the other side?
Not to Ditko-like parse language, but "start to chart a new path" is not being on the actual path.

This is the "hype", what we're expected to share the writer's enthusiasm for:
Doc's current "tormented and haunted" "job taken away" "midlife crisis",
the surprising reason why Loki became SS, Zelma Stanton's "upsetting" new role,
"heartbreaking, dire, desperate moments in this series".
Not sold on the art yet either at first glance, but the artists come highly recommended.
Dreading what the huge event/twist "no one will see it coming" is.

To clarify: Putting the hero ~through~ the crapper is what every story in the universe is.
This sounds like just more of the same for Doctor Strange comics: turning a hero ~into~ crap.
But we shall see.

DOCTOR STRANGE #382
DONNY CATES (W)
GABRIEL HERNANDEZ WALTA (A)
Cover by MIKE DEL MUNDO
Loki: Sorcerer Supreme Part 2
Loki continues to protect the world from magical threats, but... that can't be all that he's after, can it?
Stephen Strange certainly doesn't trust the God of Lies and Mischief.
The play that Strange makes at the end of this issue will shake the Marvel U to its core!
32 PGS./Rated T+ $3.99

It has been a difficult trudge for an old Doctor Strange fan during Aaron's reign, and I hope to see some actual magic in the next writer's take. I can see a story being done on the destruction of magic, but too much time was spent in that aspect, and far, far too little on the recovery of magic. There should have been more repercussions shown in my opinion. Magic is like art, the absence of it in the world should have been noticeable to everyone. It should have been missed, not just by its users. Aaron just wanted to deconstruct Strange, forgetting the purpose of deconstructing is to rebuild.

I wish the writers could write new stories dealing with dark creatures or unknown dimensions, like a Lovecraftian story arc or anything dealing with cosmic-horror entities instead of playing the "de-powering and out-of-shape" game.

The amazing thing is that they keep depowering Strange, but never "repower" him...
There was a long period of time that Strange was written with power, but there was still tension and drama. Is that really so hard to do anymore?

DOCTOR STRANGE #381
DONNY CATES (W) GABRIEL HERNANDEZ WALTA (A)
Cover by MIKE DEL MUNDOLenticular Homage (LH) Variant Cover by MIKE DEODATO JR.
Legacy Headshot Variant Cover by MIKE MCKONE
Variant Cover by GABRIEL HERNANDEZ WALTA
TRADING CARD VARIANT COVER BY JOHN TYLER CHRISTOPHER1965 T-SHIRT VARIANT COVER BY STEVE DITKO
LOKI: SORCERER SUPREME Part 1
Evil is everywhere and the world needs the Sorcerer Supreme more than ever. But is the world ready for LOKI: SORCERER SUPREME?
He has the cloak, the spells - he's even got Zelma Stanton as his assistant (and possibly more?) - but is this the chance he needed
to become a hero, or is the god of lies dangerously close to unlimited power? And what happened to STEPHEN STRANGE?
PLUS: Includes 3 bonus MARVEL PRIMER PAGES!
32 PGS./Rated T+ $3.99

Update: Infamous Iron Man #11
[a Dr. Strange "psychologist to the stars" appearance with bad one-liners;
with Dr. Doom, refers back to Triumph And Torment;
Strange not mentioned in the August solicits:
"Doom finally confronts his mother about the impossible truth of her resurrection and the Maker unveils his plans to destroy Victor Von Doom inside and out!";
The Maker (alt-universe Ultimate Reed Richards) revealed here to be Mephisto, hell-bent on preventing Doom from redeeming his soul with more heroic pursuits
under the Iron Man mantle]

Tumblr's Unclear Future Shows That There's No Money in Internet Culture
There goes the monetization Neilalien never tried!
Get a ton of traffic with a website full of lolcats and pr0n gifs? Good for you! But hosting is expensive, and
apparently advertisers don't like not knowing what content their ads will appear next to, nor knowing anything about
your users without data-mining.

Trump's Presidency Is Ruining My Personal Brand
It can be difficult to build an online identity when Trump sucks all the oxygen out of the room.
It can be difficult to blog about comic books when so many more serious things are happening in the world right now.

Life Is About to Get a Whole Lot Harder for Websites Without HTTPS
All websites with input form fields served over HTTP will show a "Not secure" warning soon to the user in Chrome and Firefox.
Your website may not be a banking or shopping site with logins and payment processing, but if it has a search box, or an "email me" form, expect "shaming".

DOCTOR STRANGE #26
JOHN BARBER (W) NIKO HENRICHON (A)
Cover by JAKUB REBELKA
Doctor Strange and Zelma make what may well be their last house-call! An evil unlike any youve seen puts Strange in his toughest spot yet, stripping him of his magic, leaving him only with his crippled fists to defend himself.
32 PGS./Rated T+ $3.99

Comment: Sigh, see above point, another story of weakening Dr. Strange. What magick does he currently possibly have left to be stripped of?

DOCTOR STRANGE AND THE SORCERERS SUPREME #12
ROBBIE THOMPSON (W) NATHAN STOCKMAN (A)
Cover by JAVIER RODRIGUEZ
It's time for the Sorcerers to go home! With their original mission finally complete, Doctor Strange must figure out a way to send everyone back to their original timelines.
Spoiler alert: Not everyone will make it home...
32 PGS./Rated T+ $3.99

DOCTOR STRANGE #24
DENNIS HOPELESS (W) NIKO HENRICHON (A/C)
Marvel vs. Capcom Variant Cover by TBA
SECRET EMPIRE TIE-IN!
Doctor Strange and his strange crew of allies make their final push on Baron Mordo, and it doesn't look good for them. But even if they win, are they ready for the Hydra-occupied America waiting outside of the dark-domed Manhattan?
32 PGS./Rated T+ $3.99

DOCTOR STRANGE AND THE SORCERERS SUPREME #11
ROBBIE THOMPSON (W) NATHAN STOCKMAN (A)
Cover by JAVIER RODRIGUEZ
The Sorcerers Supreme travel through the future and into Hell to save one of their own! But who rules the Underworld of Tomorrow? The answer is not who you'd expect!
32 PGS./Rated T+ $3.99

JEAN GREY #6
DENNIS HOPELESS (W) Paul Davidson (A)
Cover by DAVID YARDIN
When you're a mutant telepath, you get used to hearing voices in your head. But what happens when one voice keeps you up at night and refuses to leave? Desperate for help, Jean seeks out a physician to diagnose her problem Only under these circumstances, the only qualified clinician is the Master of Mystic Arts himself, DOCTOR STRANGE!
32 PGS./Rated T+ $3.99

Marvel comics currently not selling that well; blaming recent initiative for more creators and characters of color becomes convenient new way to willfully ignore overwhelming systemic problems with the comics industry

No, Diversity Didn't Kill Marvel's Comic Sales
["Blaming "diversity" only goes so far when it is series about white men and teams of white men that have been dropping the furthest...
There are many potential explanations for why Marvel's sales have declined since 'Secret Wars' - the decision to relaunch titles
that were already selling well, a weak slate of new series, reader fatigue with the seemingly unending string of events and crossovers,
a desire for more escapist stories at a time when Marvel was prepping for an event about fascism, steep competition from DC's Rebirth relaunch,
poor marketing outside of the direct market, etc. - but the publisher's current focus with "diversity" is not among them."]

It's Not Diversity Marvel, It's Poor Implementation
[if Marvel was serious about diversity, it would build up new IP characters who stand on their own, rather than render its core iconic universe unrecognizable
with one-note sake-of-change gender/racial/sexual preference replacements/stunts]

Hickman:
"Marvel and DC basically have static IP because none of us are stupid enough to create new IP. Until the deal changes, it is what it is."

Marvel can only do faux diversity-
few want an Iron Man who is black/female/gay/not Tony Stark,
but they have to use "Iron Man"-
it's part of the same dynamic why Marvel has to keep re-using, re-arranging, re-imagining, and re-hashing its IP:
because no creator in her right mind is going to make really new intellectual property/characters
for Marvel-Disney under the work-for-hire regime.

Update: Franklin Harris, July 02016: Characters vs. Trademarks
["But with comic book creators not wanting to imagine wholly original superheroes only for Marvel and DC to claim ownership,
and with Marvel and DC nevertheless desperate for new characters that might reach new, historically underserved audiences, it becomes a zero-sum game.
The only solution is for Marvel and DC to reimagine the characters they already own...
Recasting the Ghostbusters is easy. Coming up with new characters and concepts is hard...
Is repurposing characters originally envisioned as white men the best way to get [more kick-ass female role models]?"]

DOCTOR STRANGE AND THE SORCERERS SUPREME #9
ROBBIE THOMPSON (W) JAVIER RODRIGUEZ (A/C)
Sir Isaac Newton, Sorcerer Supreme of his day, has mastered an ancient, evil magic and has gone power-mad. It's up to the Sorcerers Supreme to stop him from sending the world - and all of their own individual timelines - into chaos. Unfortunately, even with the Avengers on their side, it seems like they are still no match for Newton.
32 PGS./Rated T+ $3.99

DOCTOR STRANGE AND THE SORCERERS SUPREME #8
ROBBIE THOMPSON (W) JAVIER RODRIGUEZ (A/C)
Sir Isaac Newton, scientific genius, pioneer and now nigh-omnipotent sorcerer, has come to the present-day Marvel Universe. First order of events? Take down the Avengers. The scary thing is, with his current power level, they don't stand a chance.
32 PGS./Rated T+ $3.99

SECRET EMPIRE #2 (of 9)
NICK SPENCER (W) ANDREA SORRENTINO (A)
Cover by MARK BROOKS
Villain Variant Cover by Dan Mora
ACTION FIGURE VARIANT COVER BY JOHN TYLER CHRISTOPHER
VARIANT COVER BY J. SCOTT CAMPBELL
Hydra Hero VARIANT Cover by ANDREA SORRENTINO
Enshrouded in darkness, plagued by the minions of Baron Mordo and cut off from all assistance, The Defenders and Doctor Strange struggle to save the lives of the innocent people consigned to this hell on Earth. Will Dagger prove to be the key to stopping this nightmare?
Meanwhile, will the appearance of a new hero provide Iron Man with the key to Captain America's startling change? THE SECRET EMPIRE WILL DEFEND YOU!
48 PGS./Rated T+ $4.99

02016 was a year of extremes for Dr. Strange fans.
At the same time an amazing live-action movie brought them to great heights,
every monthly comic was a new low of Doc boringly swinging an axe.
It's wonderful to have a Dr. Strange monthly book again,
and Aaron's run had some great creativity in it-
but it was essentially just another disappointing Dr. Strange depowering and continued schlubification.

Ever wonder why the Inhumans are getting a big push in the comics and Agents of SHIELD TV,
and have basically become the new Mutants, while the Mutants have faded?
Because Marvel doesn't own the X-Men movie rights.

DOCTOR STRANGE AND THE SORCERERS SUPREME #7
ROBBIE THOMPSON (W) JAVIER RODRIGUEZ (A/C)
Sir Isaac Newton betrayed the rest of the Sorcerers Supreme, and has come to the present-day... where he takes on the Avengers!
32 PGS./Rated T+ $3.99

DOCTOR STRANGE AND THE SORCERERS SUPREME VOL. 1: OUT OF TIME TPB reprints #1-5

SPIDER-MAN: THE LIFELINE TABLET SAGA TPB
Written by STAN LEE & FABIAN NICIEZA
Penciled by JOHN ROMITA SR., JIM MOONEY, JOHN BUSCEMA & STEVE RUDE
Cover by STEVE RUDE
Relive a Spidey epic decades in the telling! It all begins with a classic struggle over a petrified tablet said to hold the secret to eternal life!
It's a priceless relic that a lot of dangerous folks want to get their hands on - like the Kingpin of Crime, the Shocker, Man Mountain Marko and
Maggia boss Silvermane! Others are drawn into the fray - including Quicksilver and Dr. Curt Connors - but the tablet has a lesson to teach:
Be careful what you wish for! Years later, Hammerhead sets his sights on the sought-after stone - and its full secrets are revealed in a free-for-all
that draws in Boomerang, the Sub-Mariner and Connors' savage alter ego, the Lizard! Only a Spider-Man/Doctor Strange team-up can prevent the
Lifeline Tablet from wreaking havoc!
Collecting AMAZING SPIDER-MAN (01963) #68-75 and SPIDER-MAN: LIFELINE #1-3.
248 PGS./Rated T $24.99

SPIDER-MAN BY TODD DEZAGO & MIKE WIERINGO TPB includes SENSATIONAL SPIDER-MAN (01996) #22-23,
when Doctor Strange's status quo was re-established post-Sorcerer Supreme, back in with the Vishanti, back in the old costume, Seven Spheres War over.

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